Locomotive drifting device



C. F. PRESCOTT.

LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTING DEVICE.

, APPLICATION FILED JULY so. 1918.

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locomotive UNHE eras: ram? oHARLEs E. REsoo'r'r, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, Ass SUPPLY COMPANY, or WILMI GTON, DELAWARE, A

LOCOMOTIVE DEIFTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 30, 1918. Serial No. 247,358.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLEs F. PRESCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, of New York,

in the county of Queens and State have lnvented a certam new and useful Improvement 111 Locomotive Drifting Devices, of which improveme following is a speclficatlon.

nt the This invent1on relates to drifting devices for locomotives, in which a drifting is employed for supplying a limited qu valve antity of steam to the engine cylinders when the is closed.

Drifting valves of this character running with the throttle have heretofore been employed and the same have been designed to normally remain closed when the throttle is open and the engine is being operated with live or superheated steam, but are adapted to automatically open to supply a small quantity of saturated steam to said cylinders when the throttle is closed and the locomotive continues running, in order to prevent the formation of a vacuum in the engine cylinders by the pumping action of the sequent drawing of air, into the cylinders.

pistons, and the congases or'cmders It is also customary to provide locomotive cylinders with end, and manually controlled means opening said cocks when desired, to

cylinder cocks, one at each for dram the cylinder or 'to blow out the water of condensation. It is important that the drifting steam should not be admitted to the cylinders when the cylinder cocks are open, and that the vcylinder not beopened when the locomotive is ing, and one of the features of my p improvement comprises broadly,

cocks should driftresent means for supplying steam from the drifting valve to the engine cylinder through the cylinder cock connection, and means for cylinder dram valves closed whlle the holding the drifting steam is being admitted to the cylinder, thereby preventing the admission of air and Another feayv cutdriftcock is opened. Figure 1, a locomotive cylinder my improved drifting Fig. 2, an inverted linder showing the cylinder cock eerie IGNoR T0 FRANKLIN RAILWAY ooRroRArrcN or DELAWARE.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

connections, Fig.

3, a vertical longitudinal section of one of the cylinder cocks upon a larger scale; Fig. 4, a transverse section of the cylinder cock taken on the line H of Fig. 3; and Fig.

5, a vertical section of the drifting valve.

My lmprovement is adapted to be employed 1n connection with any suitable or preferred form of drifting valve mechanism which operates to supply a limited quantity of steam to the engine cylinders when running with the throttle closed,

and closes automatically to cut off said supply when the throttle is opened.

One form of drifting valve mechanism is indicated at 7, in the drawlng and has a pipe connection 6, leadlng from the turret and provided with a globe valve 5,

in the cab for controlling a supply of saturated steam, a pipe 15 connected with the main lives team supply pipe 16, or directly to the engine valve chest 17, and one or more pipe connections 8, with the engine cylinder 10.

According the pipe or conduit 8, for from the drifting valve with the engine cylinder inder cock connection 9.

to my present improvement supplying steam 7 communicates through the cyl- For the purpose of illustration I have shown the two cylinder cocks, one at each end of the cyl-.

inder, and each comprising a casing 20, hav- 111 a connection 9, with the cyllnder, and

containing a valve 21, for controlling the discharge of water of condensation through the drain outlet by a piston 23, mounted in nected by a pipe and a manually operated 22, the valve being operated ch amber 24:, con- 25, with a steam supply control valve 26,

in the engine cab. The pipe 8, also connects with the casing 20, actuated by the piston 23, c

and a valve 27 ontrols communication from said pipe or conduit 9, into the engine cylinder. As shown,

the valve 27,

is mounted on the stem 28, of the valve 21, said stem being fluted at 29, to form a guide for the valves and afl'ord a passage for the steam.

The capacity of the passages 29 is restricted so that the pressure of the drifting steam may accumulate upon the outer face of the stem 28, and valve 27, and hold the drain valve 21 closed when thedrifting steam is flowing to the cylinder.

The branch pipes 6 and 25 duplicate mechanism at t of thQdOCOHlOiDlVB.

lead to the he opposite side It will be understood that the drifting valve 7, operates to supply a limited quantity of saturated steam from pipe 6, to the pipe or pipes 8, when the locomotive is running with the throttle closed but that this valve automatically closes by the live steam pressure admitted through pipe 15, when the throttle is opened and the supply of live steam flows through the main pipe 16, to the engine valve chest.

The particular construction of the drifting valve mechanism 7, is shown in Fig. 5, and includes the valve 13, operated by the piston 11, in chamber 19, communicating by pipe 15, with the live steam supply of the valve chest. For convenience a number of taps are shown for connecting a drain pipe 12, the taps not used being closed by plugs. This drain pipe preferably leads to the engine exhaust.

l/Vhen the throttle is shut off and the locomotive continues running, the reduction in pressure in the pipes 16 and 15, and in the chamber 19, permits the drifting valve to open under pressure of steam acting on the face of valve 13, to supply a small quantity of steam from pipe 6, to pipes 8. This supply of drifting steam then flows through the cylinder cocks and their connections 9, into the bottom of the engine cylinder. At the same time the pressure acting on the face of the valve and stem 28, holds the drain valve 21 closed and prevents the admission of cold air through said Valves into the engine cylinder. The steam then quickly fills the entire cylinder and valve chamber and moistens and lubricates the walls and valve faces.

As soon as the locomotive comes to a standstill it is the usual practice for the engineer to open the cylinder cocks for draining the cylinders. With the form of cylinder cocks shown he would open the hand valve 26, thus supplying steam pressure through pipe 25, to actuate the pistons 23, to open the drain valves 21, and close the valves 27, to shut off the supply of drifting steam. Then when the throttle is again opened for starting the locomotive the drifting valve is closed and the cylinder cocks return to the normal closed position with the communication from pipe 8, open to the cylinder connections 9.

While I have shown a preferred form of cylinder cock which is operated *by fluid pressure, it will be understood that my improvement is not limited to this construction but may also be used with cylinder cocks of any preferred or satisfactory design, whether operated by fluid pressure or otherwise, the important feature being that the operation of opening the cylinder cock also effects the closing of the driftin connection. Other advantages of this com ination are that it avoids the necessity of additional connections into the cylinder and introduces the drifting steam at the most efficient point, that is at the bottom of the cylinder.

Having now described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cock controlling an outlet passage from the engine cylinder, a conduit for supplying steam fromthe drifting valve into the engine cylinder through the said outlet passage from the cylinder to the cylinder cock, and means controlled by the opening of the drifting valve for holding the cylinder .cock

closed, while the drifting steam is being admitted to the engine cylinder.

2. In a locomotive driftingdevice, the combination of a drifting'valve, a cylinder cock controlling an outlet passage from the engine cylinder, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve into the engine cylinder, and means controlled by the opening of the drifting valve for holding the cylinder cock closed.

3. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cock controlling an outlet passage from the engine cylinder, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve into the engine cylinder, and means operating automatically to cut off the supply of steam from the drifting valve when the cylinder cock is open.

4:. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cook, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve to the engine cylinder, and means actuated by the steam admitted through the drifting valve for holding the drain valve of the cylinder cock closed.

5. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cook, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve to the engine cylinder through the cylinder cock connection to said cylinder, and means actuated by the drifting steam flowing to said cylinder for holding the drain valve of the cylinder cock closed.

6. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cock, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve to the engine cylinder through the cylinder cock connection, and means operating automatically to cut off the supply of steam from the drifting valve when the cylinder cock is open.

7. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cook, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve to the engine cylinder through the cylinder cock connection, and a 'single controlled device for simultaneously opening the cylinder cock and closing said conduit.

8. In a locomotive drifting device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cock, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve to the engine cylinder through the cylinder cock connection, a valve for said conduit, a piston for opening the cylinder cock and closing said conduit valve, and a hand operated valve for controlling a supply of fluid to said piston.

9. In a locomotive drifting valve device, the combination of a drifting valve, a cylinder cock controlling an outlet passage from the engine cylinder, a conduit for supplying steam from the drifting valve into the engine cylinder through the cylinder cock connection, and a valve in said conduit attached to the drain valve of the cylinder cock.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES F. PRESCOTT. 

